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Soft Circuit Tips

Getting started crafting your own soft circuits can be a little tricky. Here are some tips and tricks to help make your beginning steps a bit easier.
Keep checking back! I’ll update this page with new tips when I find them. Have any tips of your own? I’d love to add them and credit you for them!

Email tips to CacophonousCreations@gmail.com

General:

File your nails before starting. This will help prevent them from snagging on your material or the conductive thread. The latter can lead to accidental shorts!

Binder clips are your best friend! They are wonderful at holding several layers together at once and you can’t accidentally stab yourself with them.

If you’re sewing where you normally sit or sleep, stick the pointy things in the side of the chair/bed/couch. You are much less likely to get an unhappy surprise. (Thanks, Shannon Henry, for this tip!)

Conductive Thread:

Don’t cut conductive fabric or thread over your project

Conductive thread can fray, and it loses conductivity over time. Help prevent these by using conductive glue, fabric paint, or hot glue to seal your stitches.

Conductive thread loves to knot. To help prevent this while sewing, run the thread through wax a couple of times before you begin.

Fabric

Use sturdy fabric. Stretchable fabrics such as t-shirts and spandex often cause shorts when they are contracted, while this may improve when they are stretched it’s not reliable. If you need to use stretch fabric, try Velostat.

Felt dulls scissors pretty quickly. You may want to have a separate pair of scissors for it.